A recent paper delves into “the physics behind the fizz” to explain the role that carbon dioxide plays in champagne in its brief but lively existence from bottle to glass. In the paper, Gérard Liger-Belair at the University of Reims in France focused on the fermentation process.
The bubbles originate through a process called nucleation, which is triggered by tiny impurities in the glass or by intentional etching inside champagne flutes, Liger-Belair said.

The work was published online in the European Physical Journal Special Topics. Such visual analysis of the dynamics involved could lead to further enhancements in champagne production, which has remained much the same since its development in the late 17th century.

“From my point of view, the most important findings are the collapsing-driven-bubble phenomena,” he said. “Bursting bubbles project high-speed champagne droplets above the liquid surface, which carry aromas.”